Copley Square

Andrea picks up an heirloom tomato at the Copley farmer's market:

... It was big and purple, and it looked sort of diseased. Had I not known better, I would have thought it was rotten. When I cut into it, its very center was red, with dark splotches of purple around the edges. I cubed the whole thing and threw it into a pan coated with warm olive oil. Then I added a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar and waited just a few minutes for it to become a sauce for my rigatoni, tossed with fresh parsley and Argentine parmesan. ...

J.L. Bell discusses why one of this revoluionary city's most prominent squares is named for a Loyalist who fled Boston in 1774 for England. Also, he suggests the arriviste BPL should stop trying to get the Copley subway stop renamed for itself.

Somebody playing a piano.

Break the CharlieCard machines but don't tell anybody, then station creepy plainclothes workers next to them to "help" people trying to refill their cards, which will so weird them out they'll give up and buy a more expensive CharlieTicket.

Third Decade uses the plywood-enhanced, constricted Copley today and all he can think is: Fire trap.

Earlier:
Renovations at Copley and Arlington won't be finished until at least 2009.

Chicago? Hah! Here's how windy it was in Copley Square early this evening:

For as long as I can remember, WCRB radio has sponsored a series of lunchtime concerts at Copley Square park. The concerts took place every Thursday in both June and September.

But not this year. I wrote to WCRB asking where to find next month's schedule, and got this reply from Mark Edwards, the station's director of programming:

We simply didn't have the budget to pull it off, I'm afraid. The concerts were very expensive for us to host, and there has been dwindling support from advertisers. Additionally, the city was unable to help us defray costs.

I wish the news was better on that front. Perhaps the vacuum created will lead to a greater desire on the part of all parties to bring this back next year.

Teddy Kokoros has photographic proof that Boston police don't just blow up every single suspicious package - he describes what happened when a police officer asked him to move while he was waiting for the bus:

... There were suspicious packages placed near the fire hydrant with no one around it. A few seconds later, more police officers arrived and began inspecting the packages. The police officers looked at the packages for about 5 minutes and I assume they determined the packages were harmless because the police officers soon all left the scene. ...

Plans call for joining hands to create a 100-foot-diameter peace symbol in the square on March 10 between 1 and 2 p.m.

Via David Bernstein.

Charlie on the MBTA reports that Tom Menino wants legislation to make the MBTA change the name of Copley station to Copley/BPL station.

Dave Copeland runs into her at the Copley T stop.

Juliet reports on a trio of toughlings harrassing women entering the Copley T stop with a yellow squash this afternoon:

...to all the women who walked by, they'd say, "hey! you wanna touch my squash!?" as they held them pointed out at crouch level. then they'd howl with laughter. when i was showing my t-pass to the station manager, one of them hurled his squash down the stairs where it splattered on the floor. ...

Michael Burstein offers photographic proof that it's really easy to get confused by signs on the T.

The US Court of Appeals in Boston has ruled the MBTA can build elevators for the disabled on both sides of the Copley T stop.

In a decision released last week, the court told the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay and the Boston Preservation Alliance that the elevators would not "threaten or destroy" the historic character of the BPL and would not constitute a "constructive" taking of the historic nature of Old South Church, so basically, back off, bubs (however, said bubs could appeal to the Supreme Court).

Via Anali.

Eileen spots Peter Wolf in Copley Square.

The old Hancock Building doesn't tell the temperature, but apparently another Copley Square building does.

Mike takes his camera for a spin around the square.

Mike Mennonno describes the sociology of the Bates Hall reading room at the BPL main branch:

... I've been coming here periodically to read, write, and study for years, of course. For nearly fifteen years, in fact—ever since I first came to Boston in the early nineties. And I'm telling you, it's the same borderline personalities in here now that were in here when I started. Myself included. It's like home. I call it "My Ancestral Home," in fact. These are my peeps.

All week there's been a brother in an army jacket buttoned up to his chin at the next table, who's barricaded himself in behind a wall of big, fat reference books. He's working hard on something. Blowing his nose, mainly. When he's not doing that he's squinting and staring into the middle distance. Sometimes he strokes his chin and shakes his head slowly. Occasionally he snaps his fingers, beatniklike. He's extremely well-kempt—so extremely well-kempt you know there's something amiss. ...

Mike Mennonno spends some time gazing upon the statutes of Art and Science outside the McKim side of the BPL (you know, the two seated bronze women) and concludes that the statue of Art is clearly jealous of Science, in part because she's staring at Science's ball, while Science could give a flying fig about what Art is up to:

... Science has this sort of haughty look on her face. Because she knows Art would like to snatch that ball from her. And Art looks pensive. Maybe aside from coveting Science's ball, she's afraid Science is gonna up and nail her with it, and Art's got both hands full. She'd have a rough time dodging it. ...

Ed note: I think Mike is onto something. All these years, and I've never paid the least bit of attention to Art. But I'm drawn to Science, probably because every time I see her, I think of this scene in "100 Years of Solitude," where the family patriarch, after a couple of years of, well, solitude, picks up an orange at the dinner table and announces to his family: "The world is round - like an orange" (they eventually tie him to a tree in the yard, I seem to recall).

Jen Stewart reports that yesterday, somebody was handing out free cowbells in Copley Square.

Earlier:
Copley Square swag report.

Mr. Cynic, a.k.a. John Keith, explains why the square just doesn't quite click - and it's not just because of all the skater doods.

Karl posts photos and offers commentary on the photos, including this question about the new Old South Church on Boylston Street:

Wouldn't it be great if they moved it north and called it the New Old South North Church?

Mabfan reports that the hawkers are getting really pathetic, like today's lone woman handing out free copies of the Globe wrapped in a Starbucks insulating sleeve (because the Globe news is hot, natch):

... If Starbucks really wanted to brighten up my cold morning, they wouldn't send a lonely woman out to the corner to pass out newspapers and the promise of free coffee. They would send out a cart at every corner, and give away free cups of coffee directly. ...

Constantine von Hoffman also found reason to be annoyed by the free-coffee promotion:

Starbucks to tea drinkers: Drop dead

Michael notes that the corner of Boylston and Dartmouth has become popular among companies wishing to hawk stuff. He wishes it known that he does not want to be offered free Diet Coke at 7 a.m. or accosted by a guy with a giant nose, especially not one handing out fact sheets reading:

The average adult produces one quart of mucus in their sinuses daily.